Circuit controlling device



1944- F. D. JOHNSON ET AL 2,365,555

CIRCUIT CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed April 29, 1942 "IIIILLEIIJLZ.

8 IN VENTORS Fiaydfl {077775077 and gz'afiw af 76/05/5671 ATTO,RN

WITNESSES:

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Patented Dec. 19, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,385,555 omcurr CONTROLLING nsvrcn Floyd D. Johnson, Forest Hills, and Richard Hauser, Wilkinsburg, PI... assignors .to Weltinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, Eng: Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylva a Application April 29, 1942, Serial No. 440,956

11' Claims. (Cl. 200-168) This invention relates generally to circuit con- 1 and 2, an electrical network protector is shown trolling devices and more particularly to network comprising a removable circuit breaker unit I protectors or circuit interrupters of the draw-out which is mounted ina sheet metal cubicle l3 havtype. ing a removable cover or door IS. The circuit One object of the invention is to provide a, 5 breaker unit H is supported by means of a pair novel electrical connector for a circuit interruptof rollers l'l disposed on each side of the circuit er of the draw-out type which applies equal conbreaker unit. The rollers I! are provided with tact pressure to the fixed and movable terminals. peripheral grooves which fit over the top edge Another object of the invention is to provide a of a supporting foldable track l9 disposed at each circuit breaker of the draw-out type with a novel 10 side of the breaker unit and within the side walls hinged electrical connector having a loosely of the cubicle I3.

mounted bridging member which applies equal The track l9 comprises a stationary portion 2| pressure to the fixed and movable terminals. and a folding portion 23. The stationary portion Another object of the invention is to provide a 2| of the track is is secured at one end to a vercircuit breaker of the draw-out type with an imlly i po d fra 25 and is br ced in this proved electrical connector which is hinged to position by means of a bracket 21 having one end 1 permit withdrawal of the breaker, secured to the frame 25 and the other end secured Another object of the invention is to provide to the stationary portion 2| of the track to p an improved electrical connecting means for convide a ui a le ppo for the Outer end of the necting and disconnecting the terminal of a track- A P Of brackets 29 d 3| is secured draw-out circuit breaker with a fixed terminal, to the a e or e u th ubic e to a said connecting means being constructed to apply wall, or similar structure. equal pressure to the terminals even though the h ld p n 23 0f the track '9 is pivterminals are not in proper alignment. otally secured to the stationary portion 2| by Another object of the invention is the provision as means (if a p 33 Which passes through both D of an improved electrical connecting means for tions a i s ta y held in place by means of a draw-out type switching apparatus, said conn ctcotter pin. In order to withdraw the circuit ing means providing solid bolted contact presbreaker unit H from the cubicle l3, the folding sures at the terminals and being disconnectible Portion 23 0f the track 9 is raised until it fo ms without completely removing any bolts or other an extension of tlhe Stationary track 2| and y parts, said means when disconnected permitting be Secured in the raised p n y p s g a draw-out of the switch unit. threaded bolt 35 through a clearance opening in The novel features that are considered charthe stati na tra k 2| and into a tapped hole acteristic of the invention are set forth in par- 39 in e d g Po n 23. e f d D t On ticular in the appended claims. The invention 35 23 f the t a k is p vid d wit a pr jection 4| itself, however, both as to structure and operaat its free end to limit the Outward vement tion, together with additional objects and a of the breaker unit when the unit is withdrawn tages thereof will be best understood from the from the cu icle.

following detailed description thereof when read Network protectors are usually q i ed to be in connectiornwith the accompanying d wi in 40 mounted in relatively'inaccessible locations such which: as vaults, man holes, or cells where the mount- Fig. l is a side elevational view partly in secing p e an Workin space is limited and it is tion of a circuit breaker embodying the princidifficult o inspect and rep the pp a u ne ples of the invention and showing a removable 0f the reasons for providing t e d aw-out feacircuit interru ter nit fully i t t the ture is to enable inspection and repair of the unit cubicle. without disassembling various parts of the entire Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing apparatus or removing the entire protector.

the removable unit withdrawn from its operating The breaker unit H is P i With a uppe position in a ubi le, terminal 43 and a lower terminal 45 for each F1g 3 is an enlarged fragmenta y side e1eva pole of the breaker, for connecting the breaker tl i showing t electrical connecting in an electrical circuit. When the breaker unit means, II is in its operating position (Fig. 1) the upper Fig. 4 is an enlarged front elevational view of terminal 43 may be cmnected through a fuse t connecting means shown in 3, and link 41 to a fixed conductor 49 by means of a Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detailed view showing 3. removable bolt'5i. The lower terminal 45 is cona modification of the bridging means in which a nected to a fixed conductor 53 by means 01 a plurality of bridging members are individually floating bridging member 55 (Fig. 3). The fixed mounted side by side on th pivoted u rt conductors are adapted to be connected to the member. network system. The bridging member 55 is pro- Referring to the drawing, particularly to Figs. ded wi h t O u d C acts 51 and 59 for engaging respectively the lower terminal 45 and the conductor 53. The bridging member 55 is loosely supported on a pivoted lever or contact arm Si by means of a pair of studs 63 secured in the bridging member and which project through enlarged openings 55 in the contact arm 6|. The movement of the bridging member 55 relative to the contact arm BI is limited by means of nuts 51 threaded onto the studs 53 and spaced slightly from the contact arm 51 to permit limited movement of the bridging member 55 relative to the contact arm. Lock nuts 69 are provided to maintain the nuts 61 in the set positions.

The contact arm 51 is provided at its lower end with spaced ears ll which straddle a projection 13 rigidly secured to the underside of the conductor 53, and pivotally support the contact arm by means of a pivot pin 15 extending through openings in the ears H and in the projection 13 and held in place by cotter pins 16. The free end of the contact arm 6! may be secured to the lower terminal 45 of the breaker unit by means of a pair of captive screws 11 which pass through enlarged openings 19 in the contact arm SI and threadedly engage tapped holes iii in the terminal 45. The screws 11 are held captive on the contact arm 51 by means of washers 83 which are tapped to fit the screw threads. These washers are screwed over the threaded ends of the screws 11 and engage reduced portions of the screws to prevent the screws from dropping out when the contact arm BI is rotated to a horizontal position.

The contacts 51 and 53 are held firmly in engagement respectively with the terminal 45 and the conductor 53 by means of an arcuate surface 85 on the contact arm engaging the flat surface of the bridging member 55 when the screws 11 are tightened.

In order that the contact pressure between the contacts 51 and 59 and their respective cooperating conductors 45 and 53 may be equalized, the construction of the device is such that the vertical distances from the center line of the studs 53 and the horizontal center line of each or the rounded contacts 51 and 59 are equal. Also the vertical distance from the center line of the stud 53 to the center line or the screws 11 and the vertical distance from the center line of the stud 53 to the center line of the pivot pin are equal. Thus the construction of the bridging member 55 and of the supporting member 6| is such that when the screws 11 are tightened to apply the necessary contact pressure between the bridging member and the terminals 45 and 53 no translatory forces or bending forces are transmitted to the supportingmeans for either of the terminals.

When it is desired to move the breaker unit H from its operating position (Fig. 1) in the cubicle to the withdrawn position (Fig. 2) the bolt 5| of each pole may be removed and the screws 'I'I backed out until they are free of the terminal 45 after which the contact arm 5| of each pole may be swung clockwise about the pivot 15 to the position shown in Fig. 2, in which the connecting device is entirely clear of the path of travel of the terminal 45. The breaker unit H may then be withdrawn to the Fig. 2 position. When the contact arm 6| is rotated clockwise to disconnect the terminals or conductors 45 and 53, the movement of the connector device is limited by a surface 8'! of the contact arm engaging the end surface 89 of the support member 13;

Upon reinserting the breaker unit into the 'reconnected respectively to the conductors 45 and 53 by inserting and tightening the bolt II and by rotating the switch arm 54 to its vertical position, engaging the screws ll with their respective tapped holes II and tightening the screws.

In order to provide for more perfect contact between the bridging means 55 and the terminals 45-53 the bridging member 55 may be divided or split at its upper and lower portions into plurality of contact members as indicated at 55 in Fig. 4. While only one such division has been shown, providing for two upper and two lower contacts, it is obvious that any suitable number of divisions may be made and the contacts thus formed will project from the solid central portion of the bridging members.

According to the modification illustrated in Fig. 5 a plurality of separate bridging members 55 may be provided each being independently loosely mounted by means oi its own stud 55 on the hinged contact member 5|. Only two bridging members have been shown in Fig. 5. Any desirable number of independently supported bridging members may be provided on the contact From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that there is provided an electrical connecting means which applies equal pressure to the terminals and contact points even though the associated terminals are not in alignment. Another advantage of the device is that none of the parts will be unduly stressed should one of the screws 11 be tightened ahead of the other. The connecting means iacilitates connection and disconnection of the breaker unit and there are no loose parts which might be mislaid or lost when the device is disconnected.

Having described the invention in accordance with the patent statutes, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the structural details disclosed without departing from some 01' the essential features or the invention. It is, therefore, desired that the invention be interpreted as broadly as the prior art permits.

We claim as our invention.

1. An electrical connector tor a circuit interrupter oi the draw-out type having iixed and movable terminals comprising a contact arm pivotally supported on one of said terminals, contact means loosely supported on the contact arm intermediate the ends thereof for bridging the fixed and movable terminals, and means carried by said contact arm and engageable with the other terminal for applying pressure between the contact means and said terminals.

2. In an electric circuit breaker having fixed and movable conducting members, an electrical connecting device comprising a member pivotally supported on one of said conducting members, a bridging contact member loosely mounted on said pivoted member, said bridging contact member having arcuate contact surfaces for engaging said conducting members, and means carried by said pivoted member for engaging the other conductber pivotally supported on one of said terminals, means for loosely supporting the bridging means on said member, said member having a normal position for engaging the bridging means with the terminals and being movable to a second position in which said bridging means and member are out of the path of movement of the movable terminal conductor, and means engageable with the member and the other terminal conductor for applying pressure to the bridging means when the member is in normal position.

4. In a circuit breaker removably mounted in a housing including a terminal conductor fixed to said housing and a terminal conductor movable with the breaker, in combination, a hinged member mounted on the fixed terminal, a bridging member of conducting material mounted on said hinged member, said hinged member being movable to one position to cause the bridging member to electrically connect the terminals and movable to a second position to permit removal of the breaker from the housing.

5. In a circuit breaker removably mounted in a housing including a terminal conductor fixed to said housing and a terminal conductor movable with the breaker, in combination, a hinged member mounted on the fixed terminal, a bridging member of conducting material mounted on and movable with said hinged member, said hinged member having a normal position in which the bridging member electrically connects the terminals and movable to a second position to permit removal of the breaker from the housing, and means on the hinged member engageable with the movable terminal when the hinged member is in the normal position to apply pressure to the bridging member.

6. In a circuit breaker removably mounted in a housing including a terminal conductor fixed on said housing and a terminal conductor movable with the breaker, in combination, a member pivotally supported on said fixed terminal, a contact member provided with a pair of contacts for engaging the terminals and loosely supported at its center on said pivoted member, means carried by the pivoted member and engageable with the movable terminal for applying pressure to said contact member, said pivoted member having an arcuate surface engageable with the contact member for applying equal pressure to both contacts.

'7. In combination, a fixed conducting member, a cooperating conducting member adapted to be moved away from said fixed conducting member, electrical connecting means for connecting and disconnecting said conducting members comprising a member pivotally supported for swinging movement on one of said conducting members, a solid bridging member of conducting material for bridging said conducting members, said bridging member being loosely supported intermediate its ends on said pivoted member intermediate the ends of said pivoted member, and means for removably connecting said pivoted member to said other conducting member and for drawing said bridging member into pressure engagement with said conducting members.

8. In combination, a fixed conducting member,

I a cooperating conducting member adapted to be moved away from said fixed conducting member, electrical connecting means for connecting and disconnecting said conducting members comprising a member plvotally supported for swinging movement on one 01' saidconducting members,

a solid bridging member of conducting material for bridging said conducting members, said bridging member being loosely supported intermediate its ends on said pivoted member intermediate the ends of said pivoted member, and captive bolt means on the pivoted member for removably connecting said pivoted member to said other conducting member and for drawing said bridging members into pressure engagement with said conducting members.

9. In combination, a fixed conducting member, a cooperating conducting member, electrical connecting means for connecting and disconnecting said conducting members comprising a member pivotally supported for swinging movement on one of said conducting members, a solid bridging member of conducting material having rounded contact surfaces thereon for bridging said conducting members, said bridging member being loosely supported intermediate its ends on said pivoted member intermediate the ends of said pivoted member, said pivoted member and said bridging member having a rounded bearing surface therebetween to provide a rolling point of contact, and means for removably connecting said pivoted member to said other conducting member and for drawing said bridging member into pressure engagement with said conducting members.

10. In combination, a pair of spaced conducting members, electrical connecting means for connecting and disconnecting said conducting members comprising a member pivotally supported for swinging movement on one of said conducting members, abridging member of conducting material for bridging said conducting members, said bridging member being loosely supported midway between its ends on said pivoted member, and captive bolt means on the pivoted member for removably connecting said pivoted member to said other conducting member and for drawing said bridging member into pressure engagement with said conducting members, said bridging member being supported midway between the pivot point of the pivoted member and the point of connection of said pivoted member and the other conducting member.

11. In an electrical instrument assembly, a supporting structure, electrical contact means mounted on and secured to said supporting struc ture, an electrical instrument supported in operative position by said supporting structure, said electrical instrument being movable from said operative position to a position displaced therefrom, electrical contact means positioned on said electrical instrument and movable therewith between said positions, said second-named contact means being located in a position accessible from the exterior of said instrument assembly when said electrical instrument is in operative position, and means constraining a first one of said contact means for movement through a predetermined path into and out of engagement with a second one of said contact means when said electrlcal instrument is in its operative position, said first one of said contact means when positioned to engage said second one of said contact means having a portion located to obstruct movement of said electrical instrument relative to said supporting structure away from said operative position.

FLOYD D. JOHNSON. RICHARD HAUSER. 

